Turf's colourful history takes a turn with orange agent

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Inquiry: Winbreaker, the horse at the centre of the controversy, with Ronnie Stewart aboard on Saturday. Photo: Chris Lane

Unusual events at Rosehill on Saturday have led to racing's first colour-coded treatment log. Blue magic is causing a stir on both sides of the Tasman, while an agent of the orange kind surfaced at Rosehill.

And didn't the orange agent create a controversy. The stable of trainer Tim Martin, who is in England preparing Exceed And Excel for the Royal Ascot meeting, has some explaining to do.

Unfortunately Martin's vet, Rachel Lambeth, couldn't help stewards with their inquiries on Saturday.

The orange agent was to have been administered to Winbreaker, even though race-day treatments are barred.

Do you reckon chief stipe Ray Murrihy wanted that orange liquid? Do you reckon it would have copped a workout at the ruling body's lab at Randwick?

Winbreaker flopped on Saturday after Martin's team gave assurances the horse hadn't received the drip that contained the orange stuff.

Murrihy reported yesterday Lambeth had been in touch. The orange liquid will be dropped in to the chief stipe tomorrow.

"It is of minimal value now there has been no chain of custody," Murrihy said.

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On Saturday a member of Martin's team, Clare Hewston, told stewards the orange stuff was potassium and vitamin B. She watched Lambeth mix up the batch, which was supposed to have been given to Winbreaker on Friday.

It is an interesting cocktail. Some at Rosehill on Saturday compared it with those fashionable drinks athletes, or those exercising, often take.

One eminent vet was asked about the orange concoction and told The Sting: "Sticking it down the drain would be more beneficial."

For, one of the biggest problems with horses surrounds their ability to excrete potassium.

If only Murrihy could have got hold of the orange agent and put it through the lab rinser.

Lost in Saturday's drama was the reason Murrihy instructed Racing NSW steward Mark Van Gestel and professor of veterinarian science Dave Hutchins to pop down to Martin's stables. The inquiry heard it had to do with out-of-competition testing. Unfortunately for Martin's team, Murrihy's men found Winbreaker about to be jabbed with a needle on the end of a drip that contained that orange stuff.

Murrihy revealed yesterday an out-of-competition swoop on Rosehill stables several days ago had revealed an irregularity.

The raids are aimed at eliminating drugs that have no place in racing. Therapeutic drugs, which are outlawed on race day, do not register.

Murrihy said there was an "unidentified peak" in one of Martin's gallopers, which has since been sent to the paddock for a spell. "The normal procedure is to follow up with another test," he said.

"We've made arrangements to retest that horse at the spelling property."

So an "unidentified peak" was the catalyst for the inquiry on Saturday, which is to continue.

You have to think Martin's team was deadset unlucky.

The trainer has said from England it was an unfortunate incident. Horses at his stable were not treated on race day.

Martin was at a loss to explain why Lambeth left, and asked that she apologise.

So there may be stuff out there to go with the "blue magic" that the ruling body of harness racing in New Zealand seized in recent stable raids. One of the leading trainers across the Tasman is facing charges.

Blue magic was found in pacers in NSW a couple of years back. It is propantheline bromide and is marketed as Propan. Murrihy said it was a "bronchial dilator that opens the airways".

Another theory is that it relaxes muscles and leads to increased blood flow.

A hat-wearing veterinarian said Propan was used as a muscle relaxant when vets carry out rectal examinations of broodmares.

Vets also used it when conducting similar examinations of horses with colic. He reckoned there was a push to use it on horses that bleed.

So racing now has blue and orange treatments.

Officials know plenty about blue magic but unfortunately the orange agent remains a bit of a mystery.

Murrihy said the inquiry would resume when pre- and post-race urine and blood samples taken from Winbreaker - along with the orange agent, due to arrive today - had been tested.